Method of forming artificial leather and the product thereof



C. E. ARNOLD.

METHOD 0F FORMING ARTIFICIAL LEATHER AND THE PRODUCT THEREOF.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 28, i915.

l ,350,27 1 Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

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UNITED STAT-Es PATENT OFFICE.,

CHARLES ELWOOD ARNOLD, 0F WILII'IINGTON, DELAWARE, ASSIGNOR TO DU PONTI' FABRIKOID COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATIONv OFTV DELAWARE.

METHOD oF ronMING ARTIFICIAL LEATHER AND THE PRODUCT THEREOF'.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug 17 Application led October 23, 1915. Serial No. 57,416. v Y

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES ELwooD AR- NOLD, of Wilmington, in the county of New Castle and in the lState of Delaware, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Methods of Forming Artificial Leather and the Product Thereof, and do hereby declare that the following isla full, clear, and exact description thereof. My invention relates to a process of producing coated fabrics whereby an artificial leather of great efficiency and high quality is produced, and the product thereof.

Hitherto it has been customary in producing artificial leather to apply a layer of coating material upon the surface of a fabric, usually a woven fabric, which fabric was so constructed that the layer of coating material merely adhered to the surface thereof. This was due to the fact that the fibers of the fabric used were located close together. The product thus previously produced coinprised a body of fabric having adhering to the surface thereof a layer of the coating material. Artificial leather thus constructed was comprised of a comparatively weak outer surface and a comparatively strong undersurface, the weaker portion being the layer of coating material and the stronger portion being the fabric to the surface of Furthermore there was a more or less weak bond of union between the layer of coating material and the body of fabric.

The object of my invention is to provide a process for producing artificial leather andy the product thereof, in which the .artificial leather has its layer or layers of coating material strengthened by a light open mesh fabric embedded in the coating material, the light open mesh fabric serving the purpose primarily of strengthening the layer of coating material so as to thus provide a strengthened layer of coatingA material which approximates closely in strength and length of wear the backing which is applied While my invention is capable of embodiment in many different forms, for the purpose of illustration I have shown only one form thereof in the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure l is a plan view of an open mesh fabric adapted to be used in producing artificial leather in accordance with my linvention; and

,F ig. 2 is a section of a piece of artificial leather made in accordance with my invention.

In the drawings I have shown a body of open mesh fabric l having openings 2. vThe fabric which I may use for this purpose may be any one of many different kinds, and may be of silk, cotton, wool or any other fiber, but I have found it especially advantageous to use the light fabric known as cotton leno weave, or a leno weave in which accordance with my invention as the open' ings 2 therein are maintained securely and in a uniform manner, owing to a twist 3 that is given to certain of the threads throughout the fabric. The characteristic of this type of fabric is furthermore the fact that it is very resistant to being pulled out of shape. In other words, it is resistant to the sliding of the warp threads along the filler threads. Preferably the fabric is one having about forty (40) threads to the inch. This fabric is preferably first immersed in a sollition of nitrocellulose dissolved in a suitable solvent and in which the proportions are preferably 2 ounces of nitro cellulose to a gallon of solvent, the solvent being preferably comprised of benzol parts, and ethyl acetate 40 parts. This composition is in the form of a thin solution, andafter being strengthens the threads thereof. To such a body of open mesh fabric I apply ai layer of a plastic coating material, which may be a pyroxylin composition, a composition containing drying oils, or arubber composition. In the case where a pyroXylin com` position is used, said'composition may comprised of the -following constituents m the proportions given:

P 1in 120 parts j (lamp or 30 parts Castor oil 250 parts Benzol 60 parts y Ethyl acetate 40 parts (Instead, however, the plastic -composition used may contain celluloid scrap and castor oil as in the following composition: lCelluloidscrap-n 150 parts Castor' oil 250 parts u Benzol 60 parts Ethyl acetate 40 parts A layer o f the plastic composition 4 is then applied to the open mesh fabric 1 by rolling the composition into the same, as for ex ample, with calender rolls. If desired a similar layer 5 of the plastic composition is applied to the other surface of the o pen mesh abric 1. Thereafter, if desired, one or more 26 additional coatings maybe applied to either or both sides of the product, thus produced. vFor these additional coatings, however, I preferably apply layers 6 and? of a` cornposition inthe form of a jelly. This compo- 80 sition also'may be of any one of the above iiypes of coating composition, but preferably make use of a pyroiylin jelly which may be'comprised of the following constituents in the proportions given: 86

Nitro cellulose 10%. Benzol 40% Ethyl acetate a- 28% Castor oil. f 17% o Pigment l 5% Itwill be understood that any number of such vcoatings as those named herein-above may be applied to either one or both surfaces of the body of the fabric 1.

40 The film-thus produced and having the pen mesh fabric. l embedded therein, is ofv great strength and shows a wearing test two or three times higher than any grade of artificial leather previously obtainable. In

order to give thickness and increased strength to the film thu's produced, the latter is combined with or cemented to a suitable backing 8 which may be sheeting, drill,

vSateen or felt, the cement used being of any 5b desired kind, but which may be composed of the following constituents in the proportions given:

32 ozs. nitrocellulose and 4 ozs. camphor in one gallon of solvent consisting of 60 parts by volume of benzol and 4Q parts ethyl acetate. Y

In my invention it is not'ahsolutely neces'- sai'y to immerse the fabric in the thin solution of pyroxylin, but it has been found that solutions of other materials 'may'V be used for the same urpose, or that this step may be omitted 'a together if desired. Itis furthermore not essential to apply the plastic by;

rolling, as it may be applied in any other suitable way. It is also to be understood that no particular composition is essential to my invention, nor is vit to be confined necessarily to any particular fabric.

,While I have described my invention above in detail, I wish it to be understood that man changes may be made therein Without eparting from the spirit of my invention. l

I4 claim:

1. The process which comprises embedding a light fabric in a coating composition,.the fabric having stretch reduce by the application of a coatigl.

2. e process which comprises embedding a leno weave fabric in a coating composi- `tion, the fabric having previously had its fabric backing.

6. The process which comprises embedding a leno weave fabric in a coating composition, the fabric having previously had its diagonal stretch reduced by the application of-a coating, and then combining the same with a fabric baclnng.

7. The process which comprises embedding a light fabric in a pyroxylin coating composition, the fabric having previously had its diagonal stretch. reduced by the application of a coating.'l

- 8. The process which comprises embedding A a leno weave fabric a pyroxylin coating composition, the vfabric having previously v'had its dia onal stretch reduced by the applicationo a coating. 9. The process which comprises embedding a light fabric in a pyroxylin coating composition, and then combining the same With a fabric backing.

10. The process which comprises embagli` ding a leno weave fabric in a pyroiiyhn coating composition, and then combining the same with a fabric back1ng.

11. The process which comprises embedding a light fabric in a pyroXylin coating composition, the fabric having previously reviously hadl its diagonal had its'diagonal stretch reduced by the ap- 'coating composition, the fabric having previously hadv its diagonal stretch reduced by the application ofk a coating, and then combining the same with a fabric backing.

13. The process which comprises embedding a light fabric inv a pyroxylin coating composition, the fabric having previously had its diagonal stretch reduced by the application of a coating, said composition being in the form of a plastic, then applying one or more pyroxylin jelly coats, and then combining the same with a fabric backing.

14. The process which comprises embedding a leno weave fabric in a pyroxylin coatingl composition, thevfabric having previously ad its diagonal stretch reduced by the application of a coating, said composition being in the form ofv a plastic, then applying one or more pyroxylin jelly coats, and then combining the same with a fabric backin 15. n artificial leather comprising a leno weave fabric embedded in a coating composition.

16. An artificial leather comprising a light fabric embedded in a coating composition, the fabric having first had its diagonal stretch reduced before being so embedded.

17. An artificial leather comprising a leno weave fabric embedded in a coating composition, the fabric having first had its diagonal stretch reduced before being so embedded.

18. The process-which consists in immersing an open mesh fabric in a thin nitrocellulose solution and then filling the interstices of the fabric with a plastic composition.

19. The process which consists in immersing an open mesh fabric in a thin nitrocellulose solution and then filling the interstices of the fabric with a pyroxylin plastic composition.

20. The process which consists in immersing an open mesh fabric in a solution having a volatile thin solvent, drying the fabric, and filling the interstices thereof with a plastic composition.

Q1. The process which consists in immersing an open mesh fabric in a solution having a volatile thin solvent,A drying the fabric, and filling the interstices thereof with a pyroxylin plastic composition.

22. An artificial leather comprising a light textile fabric embedded in a coating composition, and a fabric backing combinedv therewith. y

23. An artificial leather comprising a leno weave fabric embedded in a coating composition, and a fabric backing combined therewith.

24. An artificial leather comprising a light fabric embedded in a coating composition, the fabric having first had its diagonal stretch reduced before being `so embedded, and, a fabric backing combined therewith.

25. An artificial leather comprising a leno Weave fabric embedded in a coating composition, the fabric having first had its diagonal stretch reduced befone being so embedded, and a fabric backing combined therewith. 1

26. An artificial leather comprising a leno weave fabric embedded in a pyroxylin coating composition.

27. An artificial leather comprising a light fabric embedded in a pyroXylin coating composition, the fabric having first had its diagonal stretch reduced before being so embedded.

28. An artificial leather comprising a leno weave fabric embedded in a pyroxylin coating composition, the fabric having first had its diagonal stretch reduced before being embedded.

29. An artificial leather comprising ya light fabric embedded in a pyroxylin coating composition, and a fabric backing combined therewith.

30. An artificial leather comprising a leno weave fabric embedded in a pyroXylin coating composition, and a fabric backing coinbined therewith.

31. An artificial leather comprising a light fabric embedded in a pyroxylin coating composition, the fabric having first had its diagonal stretch reduced before being so embedded, and a fabric backing combined therewith.

32. An artificial leather comprising a leno Weave fabric embedded in a pyroxylin coating composition', the fabric having first had its diagonal stretch reduced before being so embedded, and a fabric backing combined therewith. l

33. The process which comprises embedding a light weight open mesh fabric in a coating composition, the fabric having previously had its diagonal stretch reduced by the application of a coating. f

34. An artificial leather comprising a backing,la coatin of pyroXylin composition thereon, and a lig t weight fabric embedded in said coating and reinforcing the same.

35. An artificial leather comprising a backing, a coating of pyroXylin composition thereon, and a light weight fabric embedded in said coating and reinforcing the same, the coating on the two sides of said fabric being united through the interstices thereof.

a; l l 1,350,271

36. An artificial leather comprising aA coating on the two sides of said fabric bei backing, a coating of pyroxylin composition ing united through the interstices thereof. 15 thereon, and a light weight fabric embedded 38. An artificial leather comprising ain said coating and relnforcin the same, fabric backing, a coating of pyroxylin com# 5 the coating on the two sides o said fabric position thereon, and a light-weight fabric f 'being united through the interstices thereof, embedded in said coating Aand reinforcing said fabric having had its diagonal stretch the-same. 2.0 reduced previous to being embedded in said In testimony that I claim the foregoing I -eomposition. have hereunto set-m hand.

10 37. An artificial' leather comprising a Y CHARLES E WOOD ARNOLD.

fabric backing, a coating composition there- -Witnesses: 1 on, and a light Weight fabric embedded in P. E. STRICKLAND, A

said coating and relnforcing the same, the HARRY J. HAWKE. 

